Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Stock Has Average Target Price of $14.58 According to Analysts

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $15.25.

CARS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on shares of Cars.com from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group reduced their price target on Cars.com from $13.00 to $11.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. B. Riley Financial upped their target price on shares of Cars.com from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Cars.com from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th.

Key Stories Impacting Cars.com

Here are the key news stories impacting Cars.com this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cars.com reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.58 per share, above the $0.54 analyst consensus and up from $0.48 a year earlier. Net income more than doubled to $16.3 million, while adjusted EBITDA reached $55.8 million and its 30.7% margin exceeded guidance. Marketplace revenue grew 5%. Cars.com third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research raised its price target from $14 to $16 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling greater potential upside in its view.
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley lifted its target from $13 to $15, although it kept a Neutral rating. The higher target adds support, but the unchanged rating suggests a measured outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year 2026 revenue guidance of $723.2 million–$737.7 million brackets the $728.7 million consensus; fourth-quarter guidance of $183.9 million–$187.6 million is also close to the $185.6 million estimate. Cars.com guidance and results
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of $181.9 million came in below analysts’ $183.1 million estimate and was up just 0.2% year over year. The modest top-line growth may offset some of the earnings and margin strength. Cars.com misses Q3 revenue estimates

Insider Activity at Cars.com

In related news, insider Angelique Marks sold 57,980 shares of Cars.com stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.94, for a total value of $692,281.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 149,636 shares in the company, valued at $1,786,653.84. This trade represents a 27.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jr. Donald A. Mcgovern sold 8,000 shares of Cars.com stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.25, for a total value of $98,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 102,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,260,525. This represents a 7.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 3.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cars.com

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CARS. Pale Fire Capital SE increased its position in Cars.com by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 4,008,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,850,000 after buying an additional 51,600 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Cars.com by 8.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,401,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,620,000 after purchasing an additional 262,443 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Cars.com by 77.9% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 580,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,711,000 after purchasing an additional 253,991 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Cars.com by 16.7% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 440,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,579,000 after buying an additional 63,234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 47.0% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 308,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 98,499 shares during the last quarter. 89.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cars.com Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:CARS opened at $13.40 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.60. The company has a market capitalization of $717.09 million, a P/E ratio of 8.06 and a beta of 1.66. Cars.com has a 52-week low of $7.40 and a 52-week high of $14.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.00.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.04. Cars.com had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 18.82%. The business had revenue of $181.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $183.05 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Cars.com will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

About Cars.com

Cars.com Inc (NYSE: CARS) operates a digital automotive marketplace that connects consumers with automotive dealers and manufacturers. Its platform enables shoppers to research vehicles, compare listings, read reviews, obtain financing information and connect with sellers when buying new or used cars.

The company provides automotive retailers with digital marketing, advertising, inventory merchandising, website and digital retailing solutions, as well as data and analytics tools. Its portfolio includes the Cars.com marketplace and related brands and services focused on dealer reviews, vehicle financing, automotive content and customer engagement.

Cars.com primarily serves the United States automotive market, working with consumers, franchised and independent dealerships, original equipment manufacturers and other industry participants.